Variable density fluid energy converter



Jan. 9, 1951 E. E.-sToEcK| Y VARIABLE DENsIIIr FLUID ENERGY CONVERTER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 10,'l 1948 e @I o n t r S O E. E e A r S E? u u:

Jan. 9, 1951 E. E. s-roEcKLY VARIABLE DENSITY FLUID ENERGY CONVERTER Filed July 10, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m -O mtw l ma w @E mm A .le ,u S

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Patented Jan. 9, 1951 `jfAit'IA'BLlli 'DEN'STY FLUID ENERGY .CONVERTER Eugene E. Stoeckly, Mar

blehe'ad, Mass., assigner to General Electric Company, acorporation of New 'York Application-July I0, 1948, Serial No. 38,113

(Ci. 18S-90) l Claim. 1

Thisinvention relates to mechanical-'hydraulic energy converting apparatus, particularly as applied to machines for testing prime movers, i. e. dynamometers for measuring the torque =or power developed by prime movers.

In the testing ci large steam or gas turbines, or other apparatus capable of developing large amounts of power, load devices for absorbing energy in excess of 3030 horsepower by means of water brakes, electric dynamometers, etc. are extremely difficult to obtain. In addition, .many of these known machines are subject vto the limitation that they are incapable of effective operation over a wide range of loads. This .has presented an extremely serious lproblem 'for manufacturers attempting to do research and development relating to such prime movers. Interconnection with an electrical `utility power system for the purpose of dissipating the :energy developed by such prime movers lis often .impractical, not only because of the fluctuating speed and power characteristics of such loads during testing operations, but also Adue to :the fact that the nature of the apparatus to be tested is such -that -connection to electrical Aloading l devices -is oi-ten impractical and sometimes 4impossible.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is t'o provide la mechanically simple and compact energy 'converter which'may 'be to absorb loads up to and in excess of 35,000 horsepower, and which is capable of stable operation over a wide range of loads and speeds.

Another 'object of the invention is to provide an improved `turbo-machine type of energyabsorbing apparatus.

A further Vobject of the invention is to provide energy-converting apparatus of the type described in which erosion of the rotating parts due to the action oi the circulating fluid is minimized.

'Still another object of the invention is to provide ran outer casing arrangement for a fluid energy Aconverting machine which permits ease 'and accuracy of alignment, as well as of manufacture including assembly and disassembly.

A' further object of Vthe invention resides in the provision of an Venergy converter in which internal fluid-directing vanes serve the dual purpose of properly directing circulating fluid as well as cooperating with the outer casings of the-energy converter to reduce the weight, mechanical complexity, and costthereof.

-A still further object of the invention is the provision of an improved uid dynamometer in which a single rotor serves the triple purpose of (l) providing the braking or loading effect by its pumping action on a circulating fluid; (2) ser-ving as convenient feed pump means for introducing working .fluid into 'the vdynamometer readily designed casing; and 3) the entering fluid also serving to Acool the rotor.

Other objects vand advantages of the `invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings7 in which liiig. l is a sectional view of .a dynamometer in accordance with the :invention; and Fig. 2 is an exterior `end Vview of the dynamometer casing.

Referring now to Fig. l, a dynamometer .casing is indicated generally Yat l. To obtain high strength, freedom from mechanical complexity, to provide ease of manufacture, vto facilitate assembly .and disassembly, and to permit accuracy and ,ease of alignment, a split casing construction .is employed, each half of which forms :a frustum of a cone. .A preferred construction of each casing half is Yas follows. An rend wall 2 which may be cut circular .in shapefrom'suitable steel plate stock, is welded at its outer periphery to an axially and radially extending conical wall portion 3. In order to supply-convenient means for attaching the two casing halves together, and vfor additional reasons which will appear later,.a circumferential flange l is welded 'to the outer extremity of wall ipertion 3. The two casing halves may be secured together by means of suitable threaded .fastenings, such as bolts 3a, to form the complete outer casing. To insure ya high -degree of accuracy 'in the alignmentof one casing half with respect to the other, a .rabbeted portion 5 is provided on a portion of the engaging surfaces of flanges f4.

In dynamometers of this type, it is 'customary to cradle the casing in suitable bearings, `and to provide means for measuring the torque reaction imparted to the dynamometer casing. lIhe torque measuring'means may conveniently consist of a Ytorque arm lla, Fig. 2, -bolted tothe flange l and carrying an abutment do engaging a force measuring device, such as the platform scale 4b. Of course, many other well-known types oi mechanical, hydraulic, -or pneumatic devices can be used to measure the torque reaction.

Again referring to Fig. 1, a centrally located cylindrical member 6 is welded to the outer wall lof .each casing end disk r2. The cylindrical members .6 are supported by suitable anti-friction bearings il. For reasons which will appear later, cylindrical member E is provided with a central bore Ea. The casing is cradled and supported by means of the bearings B carried by suitable pedestals 9, each having a suitable bearing housing l0. AEach casing half is :provided with a hollow conical bearing and shaft seal support member `il, which may be welded to end wall 2, and which extends axially to -for-m a support for additional 'bearing means 12.

Bearings l2 serve to rotatably support the dynamometer rotor.

The system for supplying lubricant to bearings |2 may conveniently be of the type commonly known as forced circulation system. In such case, lubricant under pressure may be conveyed from a suitable source (not shown) to bearings I2 by means of passages I'ia provided in the bearing support members Il. For reasons of clarity, a portion of only one of such passages is shown in the drawing. Passages |29, in communication with |205, serve to direct the lubricant against bearings I2. To prevent the leakage of lubricant from the casing, and for additional reasons which will appear later, seals |217 are provided on either side of the bearings |2. The seals may conveniently be of the type known as labyrinth seals and may also be pressurized by air under pressure supplied from a suitable source (not shown). The pressurized air may be conveyed to the seals by passages |20 provided in support members Il, which passagesare arranged in communication with annular recesses in the seals |212. After lubricating and cooling the bearings |2, the lubricant may be drained from the support member I through a drain passage |2d. In order to prevent mixing of the working fluid with the lubricant, additional sealing means |22 are provided. Seals |2e may conveniently be of the type known as carbon seals, which are well known in the steam turbine art. A drain passage |2f is provided between seal |2e and the innermost lubricant seal i222 for the purpose of removing any working fluid or lubricant which may leak past their respective seals.

The rotor may consist of a double inlet centrifugal impeller I3 having arcentral hub portion I4 to either side of which are secured stub shafts I5, |6. As illustrated in Fig. 1, shafts i5, I 5 may be secured to impeller I3 by threaded fastenings i7,

but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other arrangements for supporting the impeller on the shafts may be employed. Because of its balanced end thrust characteristics, I prefer to employ a dual inlet impeller of the open or unshrouded type. A central bore I8 extends through the impeller, and a second bore portion I9 of greater diameter forms a chamber at the center of the impeller. A plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending passages 2B communicate with the radially extending fluid passages formed between adjacent impeller blades I 3a and with the central chamber |9. The hub portions I4 of the impeller are provided with rabbeted faces 2| to insure proper alignment of shafts l5, I6. Shafts l5, I5 have flanged end portions 22 having rabbets which mate with the rabbets 2| on the faces of hubs. I4. As noted previously, shaft I5 is provided with a bore 23 which communicates with the central chamber I9 in impeller I3. As illustrated in Fig. 1, shaft Hi is solid and thus serves to close one end of the impeller bore |8. At the outermost extremity of shaft i6, that is, at the right-hand end in the drawing, means are provided for connecting the dynamometer rotor to the prime mover to be tested. For the purpose of illustration, a flanged coupling sleeve 24 is shown having internal gear teeth 2da meshing with similar external teeth on a flange Zlib, which may be splined or keyed to shaft IE and secured by a retaining nut |6a. The coupling sleeve 24 may be secured to the prime mover shaft 'I by any suitable means such as a bolted flange ld.

Disposed within the casing, are a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially and radially extending vanes 25 which are welded to the cone members 3 and end disks 2, respectively. These vanes 25 have an axial length which is of the same order of magnitude as the impeller radius and they serve a dual purpose. They not only provide strength and rigidity to the dynamometer casing, but in addition they serve as flow directing vanes in, and partially define portions of the circulatory passages for the working uid. To provide convenient supporting means for additional wall structure dening other portions of the circulatory passage, annular flanges 26 are provided, which may be welded to vanes 25. It will be seen that the flanges 2t provide convenient means for supporting annular wall members 2 which form close clearances with the impeller blades |3a. It will be apparent that the stationary wall 21, in cooperative relation with impeller i3, forms a shroud or outer boundary of the circulating passages formed between adjacent rotor blades |30..

A further portion of the passage for the working fluid adjacent the impeller inlet is formed by coaxial curved walls 28, 29. Each of these walls defines a surface of revolution, and for convenience in manufacturing may be constructed from sheet metal which is suitable either for spinning or other forming operations. Curved walls 23, 29 may be supported in cooperative relation with impeller I3 and with vanes 25 by welding to these vanes or by any other convenient means of attachment. Slotted portions may be provided at the outer extremities of walls 28, 29 at a circumferential angular spacing corresponding to the spacing of vanes 25 to permit the insertion of vanes therein, as will be apparent from Fig. l. It will now be apparent that two complete fluid circuits in parallel are defined by walls 2, 3, 2, 28, 25, and impeller I3.

A conduit 33 is provided for the purpose of conveying working fluid from a suitable source to the casing. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a flexible joint (not shown) may be provided in conduit 3|), or the conduit itself may be constructed of flexible material such as rubber, to prevent undesirable torque reactions from being impressed upon the casing and thereby adversely affecting the accuracy of the torque measuring means. A valve 33a is provided in series flow relation with conduit 3G for controlling the rate of admission of the fluid. A nozzle 3| forms one wall of a fluid inlet chamber 3|a which is welded to the end of cylindrical member 6. Nozzle 3| is adapted to inject working duid from conduit 35 into the bore 23 of shaft I5. Since shaft I5 is a rotating member and the nozzle 3| is stationary, no pressure-tight fluid connection is provided between nozzle means 3| and the rotating shaft I5. However, the end portion of shaft I5 is arranged to form a close clearance with the external wall of the stationary nozzle 3| in order to minimize leakage to the interior 6a, of cylindrical member 6. The small amount of leakage which may take place through this very small clearance space is not objectionable. This leakage may be permitted to collect in the interior Sa of the cylindrical member and may be drained therefrom by means of an opening 32. It will now be apparent that inlet conduit 3G, nozzle 3|, bore 23, I8, chamber |9, and radial passages 20 form a continuous passage for supplying makeup liquid to the working duid circuit.

Means for the removal of fluid from the dynamometer casing are provided as follows. An opening 33 is provided in each half of the dynamometer 5. casing .and is adapted .to receive a .conduit 34. In order to `provide a .fluid-tight joint between the casing and conduit 34, these parts maybe welded, which also provides mechanical .strength and rigidity. Conduit 34 is provided with a ilanged portion 33 to permit convenient attachment to conduits 35a. .It is desired .to particularly point out that the axis Xof .the outlets 34 are arranged to `extend in an .exactly radial direction from casing wall 3 With this arrangement, and with the further .provision that conduits 35a discharge directly .to atmosphere orfr'eely into an exhaust conduit 3519, as indicated in Fig. 1, there is no possibility of an erroneous torque measurement resulting from any kinetic reaction Vwhichmay be imparted to the casing due to the iiow of fluid through the exit conduits 34. A normally plugged drain opening 36 is provided in the flanged portion Il of one half of the dynamometer casing to perm-it complete drainage of the working fluid from the casing during periods when the dynarncmeter is not in operation.

An annular denecting plate or ring 31 is pro-r vided inside .iianges l, which ring extends .com-Y -pletely .around the inner vperiphery of the dyna- .mometer vcasing and receives the impact of the fluid .discharged from .impeller I3 thereby preventing erosion .of the mating portions `of anges 4. It will be apparent that .the wear ring 3l may -be readily replaced if it becomes badly eroded. The ring 3'! .is retained Ain .the proper relation to :the mating faces of flanges l by clips 31a. which may be welded to the ring and inserted in a suitable clearance space provided between the mating flanges `as indicated in Fig. 1.

In-operation, the impeller 4I 3 .is driven by means of a .prime mover (notshown) through the .shaft '1. Working uid, such as water, is supplied to `the dynamorneter by means of conduit 30. As previously indicated, valve 33a is provided in conduit S3 to control the 'rate of supply of working fluid .to the dynamometer.. From the inlet cham-- vber 3io the iiuid flows through nozzle 3| and the bore 23 of the rotating .shaft l5, and iinally into the central chamber .i3 of impeller I3. The fluid is then pumped by centrifugal,forcethrough passagesZiiinto .the impeller .flow path. The usual working pressure of the .fluid in the casing may be relatively high, perhaps of the order of 300#/Sq. linch or more. It will be apparent that the arrangement described provides a very .advantageous and convenient means for introducing make-up liquid into the dynamometer casingagainst the high working pressure therein, without the necessity of .employing a separate feed pump. The arrangement has the further very great advantage .that in addition to providing means for introducing the fluid into the casing, the flow of fluid through passages 2E! effectively serves to cool the impeller. This is an important feature since it is often desirable to construct the highlystressed impeller from a light-alloy such as aluminum which rapidly loses its structural strength at elevated temperatures and, since the rotational speeds may be of the order of 8,000 R. P. M. or more, land the temperature of the working fluid may at various times be as high as or exceed 450 F.

As previously indicated, walls Z, 3, 2l, 28, 29, and impeller i3 are arranged in cooperative relation to define two parallel circulatory passages for the working fluid. The fluid enters the impeller from the annular inlet passage defined by walls 2-8, 29 from the region adjacent the shaft flange 22 at relatively low velocity, and in a direction substantially parallel Ato -.the axisv of rotation.

Vvery substantial energy transfer `from thefimpeller to `the fluid. VIt Will. also be appreciated that by virtue of this energy transfer .from the impeller to the huid, the Velocity, pressure and temperature of the fluid are increased. 'The uid vis .accelerated .to an angular velocity corresponding .substantially to that of .the impeller and to some specific radial velocity at the point where it is discharged from the. outer periphery .of the impeller. Since similar action takes place on both sides .of the impeller, the pressure forces acting in an axial direction are substantially balanced so that large capacity thrust .bearings .are not needed.

Upon leaving the impeller, the 'fluid iis discharged against the defiecting ring 31., andza .portion of the fluid is thereby deflected to the left and the remaining portion is deiiected .to the right of the centra1 plane of the impeller. The fluid yis then .constrained to flow along walls 3, 2 after which it reenters the inlet passage defined by walls 28, 29. It will 'be appreciated by vthose skilled in the art that 'under practically all conclit-ions of operation, the fluid leaving a centrifugal impeller will have a substantial tangential component of velocity when it impinges. upon the deliecting ring 3.1. It has been found that vfor eflcient pumping action of the impeller, it is desirable that the fluid enter .the .impeller with substantially axial Velocity, .free from any tangential or swirl component. Therefore, vanes 25 serve the useful and extremely important purpose of removing any swirl components of velocity before the fluid reenters the impeller aswell as vthe more obvious function of adding strength and rigidity l to the casing.

It is intended that the circulating working fluid will be a compressible or elastic fluid. However, the invention is not necessarily limited. thereto. For the purpose of illustration it 'will be assumed that the working huid is steam. .In such case, ordinary water from city mains or other convenient source is supplied to conduit 30, and is pumped into the casing in the manner previously described. In passing through the impeller, en'- ergy .is transferred to the fluid which raises its pressure, temperature, and velocity. It wil1 be apparent that an additional increment of energy is added to the fluid each time it traverses the circulatory path through the impeller. Thus, there is a tendency for the pressure and temperature of the fluid to continually Vincrease within the casing. This action continues until vthe water is vaporiaed into steam, which may be removed through conduits 35a at a rate controlled byY a -suitable valve 35C.

In a turbo-machine of this type, the energyabsorbing capacity is a function of the density of the. working fluid, the rotational speed Aof the rotor, andthe overall pressure drop around the 'uid circuit. Contro-1 may be exercised over the power or load absorbing capacity of the machine by varying any of these quantities.

In order to accomplish control of the fluid density, the valve 35e is provided in conduit 365. Since, due to the action of the impeller upon the working fluid there is a resulting temperature rise and therefore, a tendency for .the pressure within the dynamometer casing to increase, it will be apparent that by controlling the degree of opening of valve 35e so as to bleed a portion of the uid from the casing, the pressure of the working uid may be varied at will within very wide limits. It is to be noted, however, that steam valve 35o must be operated in proper coordination with liquid supply valve 30a. This is necessary since the quantity of working iiuid bled from the casing through valve 35e must be replaced, in order to maintain equilibrium, by supplying a like quantity of fresh, cool, working fluid to the casing from conduit 30. This process of course tends to stabilize the temperature of the working fluid within the casing.

While the operation thus far has been described in terms of the working pressure of the fluid being at some value above atmospheric, it will be appreciated that conduit 350, may be connected to a suitable steam condenser, and the working fluid Within the casing maintained at a pressure either above or below ambient to obtain still Wider ranges of load absorbing capacity.

Further conrol over the inherent load absorbing capacity may be had by designing the fluid path so as to make the overall pressure drop around the fluid circuit any desired value. By varying either the pressure drop or the density of the working fluid, an extremely wide range of capacities may be obtained with turbo-machines of the general arrangement described.

As previously indicated, a preferred construction of the dynamometer employs a dual inlet centrifugal type impeller which te-nds to equalize the pressure forces acting upon the impeller in an axial direction. To further insure that such pressure forces do not become unbalanced, conduits Bil may be connected, externally of the casing, with pressure equalizing conduits 35a as shown in Fig. 1. Again, it is important to note that the common discharge conduit is arranged to discharge directly to atmosphere or freely into an exhaust conduit 35D, which in turn extends either in an exactly axial or an exact-ly radial direction, to prevent an erroneous torque measurement resulting from any kinetic reaction which may be imparted to the casing due to the flow of fluid through the common discharge conduit.

An important advantage of the invention resides in the fact that in passing through passages 28 in impeller i3 the entering liquid is accelerated to the same angular velocity as the impeller so that when this liquid enters the portion of the uid circuit defined by blades i3d, the liquid has only a radial component of velocity relative to the impeller, that is, parallel to the blades. Thus the entering liquid has little erosive action on the impeller blades since it flows parallel with them, at low relative velocity, rather than impacting against them at high relative velocity. However, the invention is not limited to impellers having radial blades and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that impellers having other blade shapes may be employed. Ordinarily, by the time the make-up liquid flows around the fluid circuit to the impeller inlet at least once, such liquid has vaporized to steam. Thus, the blade inlet portions 13b need work only on dry or superheated steam and are therefore spared the erosive action ordinarily encountered in other types of turbo-machines using liquid or steam containing entrained liquid particles.

It will be seen that the invention provides a relatively simple, inexpensive and compact uid energy converter which, due tothe use of high rotational speeds and/or high density, is capable of absorbing extremely large amounts of power; and the use of a variable density working fluid permits readily obtaining a wide range of loads at all speeds in a single unit. Furthermore, the construction and arrangement are such as t0 provide accuracy of alignment of critical parts, for ease of assembly and disassembly for servicing.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described as applied to a fluid dynamometer, it will be apparent to those familiar with the art that the invention may be applied to other types of energy converters and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and it is intended to cover in the appended claim, all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An energy converting machine comprising in combination, fluid energy converting means including a rotor secured to a shaft and adapted for operation at high rotational speeds; coupling means for connecting the shaft to a prime mover; means for pumping a vaporizable liquid into the machine and thereby simultaneously cooling the rotor; a casing comprising rst and second, separable, juxtaposed, annular sections enclosing the rotor with the shaft projecting through an end wall of the casing; a rabbeted flange secured to each of said casing sections and adapted to define a sealed fluid joint when the casing sections are Vsecured together; means for securing the casing in cooperative relation to define two closed fluid circuits in parallel from the exit to the inlet of 'the rotor within the casing; sealing means for preventing the flow of iiuid along the shaft either outwardly from the casing or inwardly to the interior of the casing; and means for bleeding controllable quantities of fluid from the casing to control the pressure of the fluid therein.

EUGENE E. S'iOECKLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,858,514 Lell May 17, 1932 2,189,189 Bennett Feb. 6, 1940 2,388,112 Black et al Oct. 30, 1945 2,425,171 Bennett et al. Aug. 5, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,267 Great Britain May l0, 1911 

